Utilitarianism

Definition:

• Focus is on consequences. • Hedonism: Only pleasure is intrinsically

good, and only pain intrinsically bad.• The proper aim of morality is therefore to

promote happiness and diminish misery.• Classical hedonic utilitarianism (Mill): We

ought to do whatever maximizes the balance of pleasure over pain for everyone.

Rationale:

• Rejects exceptionless rules – it’s not always wrong to lie, steal, break your promises, or disobey your parents.

• Human happiness and misery give a solid basis for evaluating the norms of different cultures.

• Can be reconciled with Christianity etc as considers others;

• (Singer) arguably any non-egoistic moral theory must consider outcomes for others, so utilitarianism is basic.

Flavours:

• Act – JJC Smart. Approach sums up likely benefits and harms for each act. Easy to rationalize, difficult to apply, potentially erratic (Mill: ‘Godless expediency’).

• Rule – Richard Brandt. Rule-based approach follows rules (of thumb?) established in advance (e.g. stealing usually doesn’t have the best consequences) Quicker, less erratic, might not be responsive to circumstances.

• Preference/pluralist - Peter Singer - evaluate consequences in terms of various goods, not just hedonism: virtue, knowledge, pleasure, life, and freedom, or animal desires.

Issues:

• Could have bizarre implications: would slavery/racism, killing miserable rich and giving the money to charity be right if they maximized the total pleasure?

• Right results, wrong reasons (= Kant’s attack). • Isn’t it wrong in itself to kill an innocent person,

even if it had the best consequences?• Bernard Williams: George and the Chemical

Warfare job; Jim and the Indian Massacre…• Nozick and the Experience Machine: do we

choose a life of pleasure?

Questions, Questions…

• These are on the critical material in the handout…

• Groups to discuss, then report back…

Bernard Williams: Issues with Mill

• What is the ‘George’ example?

• What is the ‘Jim’ example?

• What is ‘integrity’ and why does Mill think utilitarianism is incompatible with it?

• What does Williams say about possible and/or remote effects?

J.J.C. Smart – Act-Utilitarianism

• Act vs. Rule – what’s the difference?

• What objections to Rule-Utilitarianism are there?

• What are hedonistic, ideal utilitarianism? Name some adherents…

• Why are higher pleasures more ‘fecund’?

J.J.C. Smart – Rule-Utilitarianism

• What does Smart say about ‘average’ and ‘total’ happiness?

• What use does Smart think an act-utilitarian can make of rules?

• What is Smart’s response to Wiliams’ thought-experiments?

Richard Brandt – Rule-Utilitarianism

• How does Brandt define act-utilitarianism?

• What does he see as its weaknesses?

• What is his defence of rule-utilitarianism?

Peter Singer: Preference Utilitarianism

• What is the difference between hedonic and preference utilitarianism?

• What is Nozick’s ‘Experience Machine’ idea, and how is it relevant to a defense of preference utilitarianism?

• Why might an animal-rights activist prefer preference utilitarianism?

Homework:

• Is utilitarianism compatible with having integrity in one’s moral opinions and behaviour?

• (50 marks)